Simulated basketball game apparatus



1386- 1947- J. c. KOCI ETAL SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22, 1946 J. C. KOCI ET AL SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME APPARATUS Dec, 23, 1947.

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J. c. KOCI ETAL v SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME APPARATUS Filed July 22,-1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 6 fi ocz; (sa 5622 'Jacyaz z Patented Dec. 23, 1947 SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME APPARATUS Jerry C. Koci, Riverside, and Albert J. Schlapa,

Elmwood Park, 111., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Chicago Coin Machine 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 22, 1946, Serial No. 685,505

4 6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a game apparatus and particularly to an apparatus for simulating a basketball game. The invention provides a simple and elfective mechanism whereby a player may operate the mechanism for amusement and for development of playing skill.

In order that the invention may be adequately disclosed, reference will now be made to the drawings wherein Figure 1 is an isometric view of a game apparatus embodying the present invention. Figure 2 is a sectional detail along line 22 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a view looking up to the bottom of the baseboard. Figure 4 is a section along line 44 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a sectional detail on line 5-5 of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a detail from the front of the ball throwing means. Figure 7 is an enlarged detail of the goal. Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the power drive for the player and ball feed. Figure 9 is a detail of the manikin arm drive.

The game apparatus may be housed in any suitable cabinet ll] of plywood or other similar material and is adapted to stand on legs H. Cabinet ID has front panel l3 in which is mounted coin-control panel I5 carrying coin chute l6 and coin control means of well-known construction,

.the details of which are not necessary for this invention.

Cabinet Ill has baseboard 20 upon which the entire game apparatus is secured. This baseboard may be of wood or othermaterial and has side glass panels 22 and 23 extending toward rear enclosure 24. Enclosure 24 carries superstructure 26 in which is disposed score indicating means 21 of any desired construction. Top panels 30 and 3| of glass or transparent plastic are provided to complete the enclosure of the game apparatus.

Baseboard 2|] has front portion 33 in the center of which are mounted handles 34 and 35 as control means. These handles are merely exemplary and may be replaced by other suitable manual means. As shown here, one of the handles, 34, is rigid, while the other handle, 35 is rockable back and forth.

The game includes player manikin 31 adapted to turn periodically to the position shown in Figure 1 and receive a ball and thereafter turn 90 degrees to the right of the manikin. Guard manikin 40 having arms 44 is adapted to move back and forth in front of manikin 31 and move arms 4! vertically. Preferably, arms 4| are partly raised during an intermediate portion of the travel and are raised straight when the manikin is in an extreme position at either end of travel.

throwing the ball. The force, direction and path of the ball are functions of the force used on handle 35 and the timing of operation of the handle with reference to the movements of the two players.

Referring to player 31, the manikin stands upon base 46 of wood or other material, this base consisting of a circular disc. Base 46 is apertured at 41 to clear actuating rod 48 extending up into the interior of the manikin. Rod 48 has top end 49 pivotally secured to crank 50 within the manikin. Crank 5!) is secured to rocker 5| pivoted at the shoulders of the manikin, the rocker being secured to arms 52 and 53. Longitudinal movement of rod 48 will cause vertical movement of arms 52 and 53 of the manikin. Rod 48 has bottom end portion 55 threaded and carries nut 56 and lock nut 51 as shown in Figure 5. Slidable on rod 48 and disposed above nut 56 is ear 58 of roeker'arm 60. Rocker 6|] is pivotally secured at El to ear 62 depending from fixture 63 rigidly carried at the bottom of the baseboard.

Rocker arm has pivotally secured thereto at 65 actuating link 66. Link 66 has end portion 61 tapped to accommodate screws 68. Over-lying end 61 is slotted end 69 of extension link 10. Links 66 and ID are thus slidably coupled together. Link 10 is supported by guide 72, this consisting of a sheet metal strip carried by a suitable portion of the mechanism. Coil spring 13 extending between guide I2 and pin 14 on link 66 serves to bias link 66 to the position shown in Figure 4. From this position, link 66 is adapted to be moved toward the left.

Link 10 carries screws 15, these screws being passed through slotted end 16 of arm 17. Arm 1! has bent finger 18 adapted to be pushed forward by rod rigidly attached to operating handle 35. It will be noted that operating handle 35 is pivotally mounted at 8| below the baseboard to permit rod 80 to be moved back and forth. Pivot 8| is supported in cars 82 carried by the bottom of the baseboard. In order to limit the forward movement of rod 80, suitable means may be provided. Thus, fixture 83 clamped around rod 80 by bolt 84 passing through suitable slots may be firmly clamped on rod 80. The top surface 85 of fixture 83 may be used to engage the bottom edge of ears 82 during rod movement to limit the same.

Referring back to manikin 31, base 46 of the manikin is rigidly attached to bushing 81. Bushing 01 carries pinion 08 around its outer surface, the two being attached together by any suitable means such as set-screws 89 passing through the hub of the pinion to bear against bushing 81. The manikin is vertically supported by fixture 63 through which the lower end of bushing 01 is threaded and upon which the bottom end of the pinion hub rests.

Cooperating with pinion 68 is rack 90 carried by slide 9| maintained in position by guide brackets 92, 93 and 94 secured to the bottom of the baseboard or a mounting plate as shown here. Slide 9| is adapted to be oscillated along its length, this serving to periodically turn player 31 through an angle of ninety degrees from a ball receiving position to a ball playing position and back again. This oscillation may be accomplished in any suitable manner. Thus, motor 96 of any suitable type having suitable reducing gears may be provided as the source of power.

It is understood that motor 06 has its circuit energized only during the time that the game is in operation. The motor itself is supported from the bottom of the mounting plate as shown in Figure 4 by bracket 91. Motor 06 drives shaft '98 through a universal joint or the like. Shaft 98 carries cam I00. Cooperating with cam I is follower I0l coupled to slide by suitable screws. Follower I0-I is supported against the cam by spring I02 anchored to pin I04 on slide 9I, Spring I03 extending between follower IOI and pin I05 on the mounting plate maintains the follower and slide in a biased position against the cam.

Motor shaft 98 also drives a ball feed mechanism illustrated in Figure 2. Thus, shaft 93 is journalled in bracket I06 carried by the bottom of the baseboard. Motor shaft 98 also has attached thereto disc I01 to which is pivotally secured in eccentric position, as at I08, to link I09. Link I09 is slotted at H0 and overlies link I I2 carrying guide screw H3 passing through slot IIO. Spring H4 has one end attached to link I09 and the other end attached to link II2 to provide a spring coupling therebetween.

Link H2 at the bottom end carries pivot bolt I I5 passing through slot I I6 of ball actuating arm H 8, this latter arm being pivoted at II9 to arm II1 carried by bracket I06. Arm H 8 has downwardly extending finger 1-20 at the end thereof. The linkage system 'is so devised that rotation of shaft 98 will oscillate ball feed arm I I8 vertically.

Disposed below baseboard 20 is ball bin I22 sloping downwardly and having slot I23 through which finger II8 may pass. Bin I22 has discharge end I24 disposed below receiving end I21 of ball magazine I30. Ball magazine I30 has spring detent finger I31 for retaining balls I33 against dropping, once they have been fed into the magazine. The balls themselves may be of any size and construction. Thus, the thin moulded balls used in table tennis and generally available in the market may be used to advantage.

It will be noted that receiving end I21 of magazine I30 extends down into the discharge end of the bin so that balls I33 may collect as shown. Magazine I30 passes through aperture I35 in the base plate and has portion I36 extending up above the base plate at one side of manikin 31. As shown here, magazine I30 is disposed at the left of the manikin. This, however, is not important, and the magazine may be disposed on the other side of the manikin "or even to the r'ear-. It is understood "that the positions given are with reference to the playing position of the manikin when the manikin is facing the basket.

Upper portion I36 of the magazine has discharge mouth I31 disposed at such a distance from the manikin as to permit balls to be received by the manikin. In order for the manikin to receive a ball, arms 52 and 53 carry metal loop I40 at the end portions of the arms. Metal loop I40 is rigidly carried by the manikins arms. Extending across between the two arms is rod I4I. This rod is below metal loop I42 pivotally secured in any suitable manner to the manikin as at waist I43. Loop I42 has portion I44 well within the outline of loop I40. Loop I40 is small enough to support a ball. In the bottom position of arms 52 and 53 of the manikin, inner loop I44 is disposed ust below a ball resting on loop I40.

It will be evident that the movement of control handle 35 will raise arms 52 and 53 from the bottom position as shown in Figure 4. Due to the linkage system, inner loop I44 will rise faster than loop I40 so that, in the upward position of the arms, inner loop I44 may be above loop I40. In order to provide a limit to the upward movement of inner loop I44, part I46 of the loop material may be bent as shown to co-act with the body of the manikin. Thus, a quick upward movement of the arms will not only cause a ball to be thrown but will also cause inner loop I44 to be bounced back to a down position. If manikin 31 is to retain a ball from discharge chute I31, the manikin should be in the position shown in Figure 4, which position corresponds to the normal setting of control handle 35.

The turning movement of the player manikin is synchronized with the ball feed. Every time a ball is pushed up into the ball magazine, the manikin is facing the discharge end of the magazine and ready to receive a ball. It is understood, of course, that the movement of the hands of the manikin is under the control of handle 35 and is thus entirely independent of the direction faced by the manikin.

Guard 40 is moved back and forth across the line of play between player manikin 31 and receiving basket 43. Guard 40 is carried on base I55 of wood or similar material. Base I55 is carried by bracket I56 rigidly attached to end I51 of arm I60 pivoted at I6I for swinging movement in a plan generally parallel to the baseboard. Baseboard 20 has arcuate slot I62 cut out therein through which the support for the guard may extend and along which the support may move. Movement of the guard manikin throughout the extent of arcuate slot I62 may be obtained in any suitable fashion such as by motor I64 driving crank I65 through suitable reduction gearing and crank pin, not shown. It is preferred to have the guard make a substantially different number of trips along arcuate slot I62 in a given time than the number of turning movements of player '31. In practice, guard 40 may be moved back and forth and player 31 be permitted to pause long enough in a position facing the basket so that there will always be a suitable moment for an unguarded play.

Guard 40 has arms M which may be maintained in a generally up-raised position, as shown in Figure 1, but may be oscillated from an extreme upper position to some intermediate position by suitable means. Thus, guard 40 may have a crank arrangement within the body of the guard similar to the crank within the shoulder portion of player 31. Guard 60 is provided with operating rod I68 extending from within the body down through base I55 to pass through an ear of sheet metal member I69 pivoted at III]. The sheet metal member is apertured at III for engagement with wire I'I3 having end I'M pivotally secured by bolt I to anchor strip I16 carried by the baseboard. By suitable arrangement of the linkage'system, guard 46 may have the arms moved up and down as the figure is moved along slot I62. In order to provide more interest in the game, the arms of the guard will be permitted to drop from the extreme upper position to some intermediate position at the center of the path of travel of the guard. In this position, the guard is directly between player 3'! and basket 43.

Link I66 may be guided in its travel by retaining strip I18 carried by the bottom of the baseboard.

Referring now to basket 43, metal loop I82 is carried Within the basket near the discharge end thereof, this loop being anchored to switch block I83 supported from ring fixture I84 upon which the basket is hung. Loop I82 is somewhat larger than the diameter of the balls used in playing and has immediately below it spring finger I86 for controlling a switch within switch block I83. When a ball falls through the spring loop, it strikes finger I86 to close a switch for scoring. Switch block I83 has suitable wires I81 going to any suitable scoring means associated with indicator 21. Inasmuch as scoring means for various types of games are well known, it is deemed unnecessary to describe such a system in detail. Balls on the playing field gravitate toward the rear of playing panel 26 and fall through a suitable opening to bin I22.

Counting means are also provided for determining the number of balls fed to the player during a game cycle. Thus, switch block I90 carried by thebottom of the baseboard may be actuated each time a ball is fed. As shown, switch block I96 has finger IBI adapted to be contacted by cam I92 on motor shaft 98. One turn of the drive shaft results in one ball being fed to the player and serves to close the switch carried by block I90 once. Suitable counting means may be provided for automatically deenergizing the system at the end of a predetermined number of plays.

The game apparatus thus far described is comparatively simple and fool-proof. It will be noted that spring couplings or lost motion are generally utilized. Thus, beginning with operating handle 35, the only positive force exerted by the handle is when moving rod 86 forward to cause the player to throw the ball. The coupling between the links is by means of springs, thus eliminating close tolerances and damage to any portion of the mechanism in case excessive force is used.

The motor drive for the ball feed and turning of the player mechanism is accomplished through flexible couplings. Thus, cam follower IBI is merely a rod floating on cam I60, Similarly, the ball feed has driving force fed through spring II4. It is evident that, in the event of jamming of the magazine, no damage to any mechanism will result. Similarly, it is possible for a person to hold the player manikin while the motor is running without damage or derangement of the apparatus.

With respect to the guard player, the motor drive may be through some flexible coupling, not shown; r

In-order to define the end positions of player 31, suitable stops may be provided. Thus, slide 9I may carry arm I operated between adjustable stop fingers I96 and I91.

What is claimed is:

1. A basketball game apparatus comprising a baseboard, a player having movable arms, means for rotatably supporting said player on said board, a basket goal carried by said baseboard at a predetermined height above said board, a guard disposed generally between said player and basket, means operating during a game cycle for moving said guard over a prescribed path, means operating during a game cycle for rotating said player from a normal playing position when the player faces the basket to a ball receiving position and back again, means operating during a game cycle for supplying a ball to said player when said player is in a ball receiving position and manual means for moving the arms of said player to throw said ball, said manual means being selectively operable at any position of said player.

2. A game apparatus for playing a basketball game comprising a player having arms movable vertically, means for rotatably mounting said player on said baseboard, a basket for receiving a ball thrown by said player, a guard disposed between said player and basket, means normally operating during a playing cycle for moving said guard in a path generally perpendicular to the line between said player and basket, means normally operating during a playing cycle for rotating said player periodically from a normal playing position facing the basket to a side position for receiving a ball, means for supplying said player with a ball each time said player reaches a ball receiving position, said player having arms pivoted for vertical movement, said arms being adapted to support a ball and manual means for moving said arms to throw a ball,

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said player has a member carried by the arms for supporting a received ball and wherein an additional memher is disposed below said first-named member and wherein means are provided during the movement of the arms for moving said additional member at a substantially faster rate than said first member.

4. In a game apparatus of the character described, a baseboard having front and rear portions, a goal at the rear portion of said baseboard, a manikin pivotally mounted at the front portion of said baseboard, said manikin having arms pivotally mounted at the shoulders, manually controlled means for moving said arms upwardly to throw a ball, means operating during a game cycle for periodically turning said manikin on said pivot from a position facing said goal to a side position and back again to a position facin said goal, means on said baseboard for feeding a ball to said manikin when said manikin is in its side position, a second manikin disposed between said first manikin and goal, means operating during a game cycle for moving said second manikin back and forth along a path generally perpendicular to a line extending between said first manikin and the goal, said ball feeding means and first manikin being operated by one motor and said second manikin being operated by a second motor whereby the movements of said two manikins are substantially independent of each other.

5. The game according to'claim 4 wherein said means for operating said ball feed and first manikin include spring couplings whereby said ball feed or manikin pivoting means may be stopped independently of each other without damage.

6. The game according to claim 4 wherein said manual means for moving the arms of said manikin upwardly includes a spring coupled linkage system, a manual control, a lost motion coupling between said manual control and linkage system, said linkage system being biased normally to a position wherein the arms of the manikin are down for supporting a ball.

JERRY C. KOCI. ALBERT J. SCI-ILAPA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

